Sounds like a delightful family bonding time. Happy Mother’s Day, everyone! Hope we’ll be speaking to one another by the next one!

Thankfully, the commercial brought fury fire to my daughters’ eyes. You go, girls! Don’t let the Man take you down!

Still, the hawking of Mother’s Day plastic did put me in mind of mothers I find beautiful. These moms live in a country that speaks another language. It limits their work options: usually to service jobs. The pay’s small, but it’s honest work and they take strong pride in what they do. Many raise their children alone—some because they chose single-parenting over violence. They love their children enough to insist their offspring treat themselves and others with respect. In so doing, these moms break a cycle of violence in their growing sons. These boys respect their strong mothers.

These beautiful mothers celebrate their children’s present—birthdays are a big deal—and their futures—school and study and really big deals. The moms pray for, hope for, love their children. And, yes, they seek to look their best. Clothes are clean and neat; hair is styled; smiles at the ready.

They’re not saints; they’re fully human women who, like me, make mistakes and learn from them. They won’t be accessing the services Mr. Radio touts. But they don’t need plastic.